Combination key holder and tension member for toy cash registers



. H..A. KROENLEIN 2,458,863 Qouammon KE OLDER Aun fm u EMBER FOR T 'CASHREGISTER med Jan. 1o, 1947 12m-LH. l, M

Patented Jan. 11, 1949 Henry A. Kroenleln, Los Angeles, Calif.,assig'nor to Ruth P. Berry, Jackson, Mich.

Application January 10, 1947, Serial No. 721,192

3 claims. 1

The present invention relates to improve-ments" in toy cash registers ofthe type and construction as disclosed in United lStates Letters PatentNo. 1,906,361.

An object of the present invention is to provide an .improvedcombination key lever retaining and tensioning member for toy cashregisters oi the type and construction disclosed in the aforesaidpatent.

Another object is to provide a key lever holding and tensioningstructure for toy cash registers of the type described which facilitatesassembly and reduces the cost of production.

Other objects and advantages residing in the specific construction, andthe combination and arrangement of component parts will be more fullyunderstood from a consideration of the following specification andappended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. I is a vertical, cross-sectional view of the toy cash register,

Fig. II is a fragmentary enlarged view of a portion of the verticalcross-section, shown in Fig. I,

Fig. III is a perspective view ofthe key retain ing and tensioningmember removed from the assembly, and

Fig. IV is an elevational view of the cross plate stamping in which thekey levers are fulcrumed.

The toy7 cash register casing III comprises end walls I2, a base I4, anarcuate front wall portion I-S, and a target viewing portion I8.

Extending between and supported by the end walls I2 is a sub-framecomprising a sheet metal base having end anges 22 which may bespotwelded to the end walls I2. A turned-up flange 24 at the rear edgeof the base 28 is provided with equally spaced slots 26 to receive andguide the target actuating ends 28 of the key levers 30. The levers 30are swingable and operate in vertical. slots 32 formed through thearcuate front I6 of the case structure of the toy cash register. Eachkey lever 30 is notched out at 34, in its middle portion on the underside or edge, to provide a pivot point. Slots 36 are provided in avertically disposed plate member 38, which extends transversely betweenthe casing end walls I2 and forms part of a sub-frame, this plate member38 having a base flange 40 by which it is connected to the base 20 andhaving also end flanges 38a by which the plate member is secured to thecasing end walls I2. The slots 3G which serve as bearing and spacingslots for the several key levers, are aligned with the slot 32, andthese slots 32 and 36 space and guide the key levers 30 in their mount-.2 ing and operation. By Yfitting the key levers through the alignedslots 32 and 36, with the respective notches 34 resting within the slots36,

the key levers are loosely mounted and are fulcr-umed in the slots 3Bfor free swinging movement. Keys 4l are mounted on the outer ends of thekey levers 36 projecting outside of the casing front wall portion 1.6,and are tlrus freely accessible to the user.

A combination key lever retaining and tensioning .member comprises asheet metal flap plate 44 having a rib 46 along one edge and a turnedflange 48 .along the opposite edge. This ilap plate 44 ls swingablymounted in connection with the vertically disposed plate member 38substantially as shown by the `full lines and dotted lines in Fig. III,and the dotted lines in Fig. IV of the drawing. To this end, theflapplate has slots 50 in the ends thereof received through the opening5| in the cross-plate 38. Bearing shoulders are provided at v5I a, ateach end of the opening 5I, with bearing ilanges 5Ib immediatelythereabove.

In assembling the parts, the flap plate 44 has the ilanged edge 48thereof inserted through the opening 5I, and the bearing slots 58 thenreceive the bearing flanges Bib and this flap plate is supported forrocking or swinging movement upon `the bearing shoulders 51a. With thismounting and association of the parts, the flap plate 44 can be readilyfitted in place, after all of the several key levers 30 have beenpositioned through the slots 32 and 86, and when plate 44 rests againstthe bearing shoulders 5I a the plate is swingably mounted with the ribportion 46 resting upon and extending transversely across all of the keylevers.

An arcuate spring 52 supported between the cross-plate 38 and the innerswinging portion of flap plate 44 serves to tension the flap plate intothe position shown in full lines in Figs. I, II, and III, with theflange 48 abutting the horizontal portion 53 of the plate 38, as a stop.

As Will be readily apparent, with the parts mounted in the manner setforth, depressing any one of the keys 42 will cause its associated keylevervrnember 30 to pivot or swinging about its fulcrum, and while theap plate will prevent displacement of any key lever from its fulcrummounting, pressure exerted upon any key will cause the associated keylever to pivot the flap plate v44 around its swinging mounting, andagainst the tension of the spring 52.

The targets 54, selectively raised by the levers 30, have upperindicating portions 56 and lower portions 58 engaged by the ends 28 oflevers 3D. Intermediate the ends of the targets 54 are turned theselected target 54 is thus held in position lto be viewed through theopening 14; y',

To release the latch membeiy'l from the notch 62 of the selected target54, upon depressing a diierent key 42, the rear edgeothe plate 44engages a target releasing member T6 which fulcrums around an edge ofthe slot. The engagement between the member 44 and the portion 86 of themember 'I6 results in the portion `82 engaging with a tab 84 of thelatch 'l0 to hinge the latter out of the'engagementwith the notch 62 ofthe elevated target 54 inthe manner illustrated in Fig. II. 'The timing-oL the structure is such that the elevatedA target 54 is releasedthrough the movement ofy the latch "I6 from the full line to dotted lineposition as shownl in Fig. II, yet the latch 'w is returnedl by thespring 'l2 to a position to engage with the notch 62 of the newlyselected target 54.

If a comparison is made between thestructure shown in the aforesaidpatent for tensioning the key levers and the present disclosure, yitwillbe observed that in lieu of a plurality of springs, one for each key,the single spring 52 functions to tension all of the levers 30 throughthe flap plate 44. It will be further appreciated'that this flap platemember 44 is so mounted" with respect to the pivotal points 36 thatitfunctions lnot only to tension all the key levers to their normalnondepressed positions but also to'hold the key levers located in theopen endedxslots 36 since v-as is clearly seen in Figs; I and II, theflap plate is mounted in close superposed relationship to the key leversand overlies their pivot points 34, with portions of the flap plateextending beyond `opposite sides of the cross plate'38. f, Themodiledand improved construction thereby involved materially facilitatesassembly and considerablyA re duces the manufacturing costs while atvthe same time a more uniform operation ofthe key levers is obtainable.i n l Having thus described vmy invention, what I claim as new anddesire to cover by Letters Patent is: i

1. In a toy cash register, supporting structure, a plurality of keylevers, each of said levers having a fulcrum point intermediate itsends, a fulcrum on the supporting structure on which said key levers areloosely disposed in a transversely spaced assembly for rocking movementupon their lfulcrum points to and from depressed positions, `and anelongated ap plate swingably mounted across the key lever assembly, saidap plate having its hinge mounting above and in proximity to the fulcrummounting of the several key levers toretain said levers on said fulcrummounting and having its swinging edge engage- K able with the innerswingable portions of the key position.

2. In a machine according to claim 1, spring means for tensioning saidswinging edge into en gagement with the inner swingable portions of thekey levers.

v3. In a toy cash register, supporting structure, a plurality of keylevers, each of said levers having a fulcrum point intermediate itsends, a fulcrum on the supporting structure on which said key levers areloosely disposed in a transversely spaced assembly for rocking movementaround their fulcrurn points to and from depressed positions, anelongated flap plate having bearing slots at its hinged edge,iiange-like parts carried by the supporting structure and having bearingportions received in theslots of the plate, said bearingV flangeportions being disposed to swingably mount the ilap plate above and inproximity to the fulcrum mounting of the several key levers toretain'said levers on said fulcrum mountings and the flap plate havingits swinging edge engageable with the inner swingable portions of thekey levers for maintaining said levers in undepressed relation, andspring means tensioning said'plate into the key lever contactingrelation.

HENRY A. KROENLEIN.

REFERENCES CITED `The following references are of record in the nie ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '755,929 Pocuck Mar. 29, 1904964,026 Jacobs July 12, 1910 1,198,825 Chein Sept. 19, 1916 1,906,361Berry May 2, 1933

